Songs of the summer offer nostaglia and empowerment

Music has an interesting way of leaving a mental watermark on each of the four seasons here in Connecticut. Songs seem to have a lasting impact that can transport people to the time period in which they first heard it. Let us take a look at the songs that will be a staple to the memory of summer 2019.

Despite being released on April 5, Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Old Town Road,” remained at number one on The Billboard Hot 100 chart for a record- breaking 19 weeks.

Children, teens and adults alike have allowed this song to continue sweeping the nation all summer along.

Ariana Grande’s attempt to knock out Lil Nas X and Cyrus’ number one hit on Billboard was unsuccessful after being released on Aug. 2. Her single “Boyfriend,” featuring Social House, as well as its music video, was far away from number one on the charts and landed them in the eighth spot upon its release. While the song’s message is about commitment issues, the music video shows Grande violently attacking another woman, who is portrayed to be pursuing Grande’s “boyfriend.” Impressionable young girls and women have now been validated by Grande that attacking other women for a man is okay. Yikes.

Miley Cyrus traded in her famous blonde wig for a purple one with her new alter-ego, Ashley O. On June 14, the Netflix show “Black Mirror” starred Cyrus in one of their episodes as a pop sensation. To promote the episode, they released two songs, “On a Roll” and “Right Where I Belong,” under the name Ashley O. The songs picked up popularity throughout the summer. Cyrus additionally dropped a single under her real name called “My Mother’s Daughter,” with a powerful lyrical and visual message about modern feminism and access to women’s healthcare. Cyrus continues to be unapologetically open about her views in today’s political climate, and it is reflected in her art.

“Señorita,” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello has remained a contender for the most played summer hit this year and has taken over the number one spot on Billboard these past two weeks. Mendes and Cabello’s voices complement one another and, despite lyrically making no ground- breaking impact, the quality of their voices and their eloquent harmony helped bring their duet to the top.

After a meme came out saying this next song, “has done more for women’s empowerment than the U.S. government ever has,” with its lyrics focusing on women recognizing their worth and leaving toxic men behind, Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts,” has left women stronger than ever. This tougher-than-nails pop song with an R&B accent delivered a message that women should carry with them well after this summer.

The reunited 90’s babies’ classic, The JoBros, aka The Jonas Brothers, released a song back in March that carried them through the summer. “Sucker” has been a pool party hit since summer began. Their album “Happiness Begins” has been touring since early Aug., leaving their single still up on the charts as they will continue their tour throughout the fall. The beat and lyrics is are perfect for a feel-good summer song.

‘Hot Girl Summer’: The phrase that coined the summer of 2019. The highly anticipated Megan Thee Stallion song featuring Ty Dolla $ign and Nicki Minaj was released on Aug. 9. However, the phrase did not start with the release of this song. Stallion fans started a movement with the first lyric of her song “Cash S**t” that read “real hot girl s**t,” in collaboration with her album art that reads “She’s thee HOT GIRL and she’s bringing THEE HEAT.” Fans then created the ‘Hot Girl Summer’ movement, inspired by women and men alike living their lives unapologetically authentic- a message the whole human race could really use right now.